Sticks and Stones
by Turquoisephoenix
Summary: [Short DialogueDrabble Oneshot] What started as a game of 'jab the yeti with a stick' later became a deep discussion of feelings between both captive and captor in the Forgotten Worlds. BentleySheilaMoneybags triangle.


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One Evening in Evening Lake  
Rating: G

A practice drabble in seeing how well I can write dialogue to convey emotions. I really got to admit, Darkeiya is a great source of inspiration. Amazing how one conversation in Spyro 3 spurned this fic.

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Poke.

Poke, poke.

Poke, poke, poke.

"Could you please desist with that infernal annoyance, ursine?"

"Infernawha? No, I'm not. Surely a dimwitted furball such as yourself should realize that what I'm doing is great amusement instead of making words up on the fly. Maybe if you'd stop interrupting me with your babble, I'd be able to get a good jab here or there."

_Poke, poke, poke, poke, poke._

Poke.

Poke, poke.

"You know, for somebody who's accumulated great affluence of riches up his rectum, you would consider that mayhap he'd receive an education worth noting."

_Poke, poke, po-_

"Hey, wait a minute. That was an insult directed towards me, wasn't it?"

"I'm elated that SOMETHING performs in that cerebral cortex of yours."

"Hmph. Lousy good for nothing idiot. The kangaroo was a lot more well-behaved than you."

_Poke, poke, pokity, poke._

"Sheila? You dare confine the damsel of the mountainous regions? You're a monster."

_JAB!_

"Hey, I'm no monster. In fact, I was protecting her from the rhynocs."

"No, you weren't. To put it in the layman so that your puny cerebellum can comprehend, you were keeping her captive for the Sorceress for your own gain. I bet you'd look away if some sort of execution was planned for her."

"...She did have an execution planned for Tuesday."

"I'd wager that you looked the other way, atrocious swine. At least the Sorceress is authentic with her designs; you desired to hide your identity, duplicitous, larcenous ursine."

"Duplicitous, larcenous ursine. You yetis sure know how to make up some interesting words to make up for your lack of intelligence."

__

Poke, poke, poke.

"Hmph. I sure hope Sheila is safe and sound. The poor girl, ensnared in a cage, watched over by some egocentric porcine bear, in anticipation of the path to her death..."

__

JAB! JAB!

"She happens to be free, you know. And guessed who was the one to open the door? I was. So your worries are wasted on a free woman. Idiot."

"Free, eh? Bet you had to be remunerated to do it. I can see through you like an exposed manuscript."

"... ... ... ...It was only five hundred gems."

"ONLY five hundred? Five hundred could feed a dozen starving yetis for a good month. You slapped a outlay on a charming young lady who's priceless, locked her in a barred enclosure, and did nothing to reassure her of her death. You're not adequate to sport the suit of a gentleman, but instead you should tote around a pitchfork like the devil you are."

_Poke...poke..._

"... ... ...Well?"

"... ... ... ...I wasn't going to let her die, you know."

"Pfft, pardon my lack of articulate speech, but yeah right!"

__

POKE.

"I wasn't, I swear! I swear on my life that I wasn't!"

"...Hmmm..."

"I...I...was planning something...anything...to set her free. Course, I understand if you don't believe me. She didn't believe me either. She didn't...The rhynocs were...they were spying on me. She...you know the Sorceress. You would know what she'd do to me if I accepted a job and then turned my...Oh dear Gods, I already did! She'll find out. She'll kill me. She's worse than Ripto, she's worse than..."

"Get a hold of yourself, ursine. If you're so afraid of her that you'll stand guard and let noble animals get captured instead of doing the right thing and setting them free...why did you do it for Sheila?"

"...Because I'd rather let myself die than her. I didn't want..."

"To lose her? Hmm...Well, you have trace amounts of heart in that empty cavity of yours."

"...After I freed her, I gained a little of my confidence and freed Sgt. Byrd. I figured, if Sorceress was going to plan my death, I might as well make the rest of my life worthwhile by making myself out to be some sort of hero."

"But do let me guess. You slapped a price on Sgt. Byrd as well."

"Just a teeny one. I need something to boost my confidence. I needed some backup in case she rejected me. And she did. I tried to show that I was less of an evil monster and more of someone that...that she can love back..."

"Fine, ursine. Whatever you say. It's not like you can just open the latch by yourself, after all. That's why I'm still in the cage being poked at with a stick and you're having fun pouring out all your feelings like a waterfall of emotions. About how you love Sheila and yet you love your money more."

"...I...I...But..."

"You're a greedy pig, you know that? No better words can put it. I've been good friends with Sheila for a long time. She's a really nice female. In fact, one would say I sort of carry a flame for her as well. I was often her shoulder to cry on. I've heard her emotions, I've felt her feelings, I've even taken her out."

"...I..."

"What you're driven by is your utter fixation on possessions. You must have everything for yourself, be it gems or females. If anything, I despise you more when you're NOT poking me with a stick!"

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Bentley slumped against his cage, his expression hardened into a twisted mixture of disgust and intrigue. He drummed his fingers against one of the bars as he waited for a response from his captor. Anything. When he didn't receive any closure to his statements made, the yeti resumed to daydream about more pleasant times and tried not to focus on what was slumped against his cage.

For slumped against his cage was the same creature that, just a few minutes ago, was jabbing him with a stick.

Moneybags was curled into a defensive position, his arms resting on his knees. His face was pressed up against the arms of his business suit and his eyes were shut tight as if he couldn't bear to look at himself anymore. His body shook as he silently wept, his tears soaking his business suit and dampening his fur. Beside him, the stick he was using to poke Bentley earlier lay forgotten at his side, for it was just another instrument of torture he was inflicting upon the world with his existence.

Despite all his attempts to hide it, he knew for a fact that he was a monster.

And he knew that that's all that Sheila saw him as.

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**The End.**

I wrote this one night after replaying some parts of Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon. Goes to show how little of a life I have, to write fanfiction about an imaginary yeti and an imaginary bear fighting over an imaginary kangaroo.

But hey, my lack of a life is well-known. If I had a life, The Realms of Chaos wouldn't exist.

...

And yes, I am a fan of Moneybags. Please, don't be rough on me in the fact that this character is showing more feelings in this story than he usually does in the series...


End file.
